News Common PC Linux Mac CUCUG
The next CUCUG meeting will be held on our regular third Thursday of themonth: Thursday, August 19th, at 7:00 pm, at the First Baptist Churchof Champaign in Savoy. The Linux SIG convenes, of course, 45 minutesearlier, at 6:15 pm. Directions to the FBC-CS are at the end of thisnewsletter.
The August 19 gathering will be one of our split SIG meetings, maybe.
The Linux SIG will be a Perl programming tutorial, presented by Phil Wall.Phil's presentation will include showing some of the Perl scripts that hehas written, including some that use PerlTK, a graphical library. Thistutorial should be good for anyone who is interested in building quick andeasy cross-platform scripts.
The PC SIG will be a gamer's delight courtesy of George Krumins. George isgoing to review two new games for the PC: Doom 3 and Far Cry. Both arefirst person shooter games, utilizing the latest available software andgraphics technology, and are amazing to look at., but quite different asfar as theme and environment go. George says, "If time allows, I will alsogive a little show-and-tell on the computer I built to play them." EdwinHadley says, "George's demo/review of Doom 3 and Far Cry should be good andvisual. It might actually be best as a joint SIG show. His new computer ispretty sharp and the games are very slick. Ed Serbe could give good reviewsof Painkiller and Far Cry, as well." So, there you have it.
I've been unable to discover what the Macintosh SIGs has planned, but Isuspect the gamers there will be drawn to the sound of gunfire in the PCSIG.
ToCTidBITS#740/02-Aug-04
In an email message to Apple employees 01-Aug-04, Apple CEO Steve Jobsdisclosed he had successful surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from hispancreas, and will be taking the month of August off to recuperate. In themeantime, Tim Cook - Apple's current head of worldwide sales and operations- will run Apple. Jobs identified his cancer as an islet cellneuroendocrine tumor, a rare condition which can be treated by surgicalremoval. He said his tumor was diagnosed early, and that he would requireno radiation treatment or chemotherapy. Jobs did not have adenocarcinoma,the far more common (and more serious) form of pancreatic cancer. We wishhim a speedy and complete recovery. [GD]
<http://www.cnn.com/2004/BUSINESS/08/01/apple.jobs.ap/>
ToCBy Ed Frauenheim
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
http://news.com.com/2008-1011-5301870.html
Story last modified August 9, 2004, 10:00 AM PDT
Special report - Offshoring: The reality behind the politics
CNET News.com looks hard at the problems, solutions.
As someone whose job it is to traffic in raw numbers and statistics, JohnMcCarthy doesn't fit the profile of a media celebrity. All that changedafter he published a controversial report on the number of U.S. servicejobs expected to move overseas.
The study, published in 2002, in large part touched off the heated debateover what's come to be commonly known as "offshoring."
In his report, McCarthy, a vice president at Forrester Research, predictedthat 3.3 million service jobs would move abroad by 2015. That figure wascited repeatedly, as the public sought to understand and weigh the meritsof pushing high-paying jobs such as computer programming to lower-wagecountries like India.
Earlier this year, McCarthy again found himself at the center of thediscussion when he issued an update to his original report. The revisedfindings defended the original forecast as largely on the mark, though itbumped up the 3.3 million projection to 3.4 million. More significantly, itincreased the estimate of near-term lost jobs by some 240,000. In otherwords, the new report predicts that a total of 830,000 positions will havemoved offshore by 2005.
The reports transformed McCarthy into an offshoring guru who was highlysought after by the media. But news stories have at times mangled hisanalysis. In a recent interview with CNET News.com, McCarthy discussed hisfrustration with the press and described why businesses, fearing thepotential public relations backlash, have stopped talking about theiroffshoring plans.
Q: What was your reaction to the recent U.S. Department of Laborreport that only a small fraction of mass layoffs earlier this year stemmedfrom offshore relocations? Does it contradict your projection of 3.4million services jobs going overseas by 2015?
A: No. People do not suddenly do mass layoffs around mostoffshore activities. They involve a series of pilots. They cut people whoare contract employees, who therefore they don't even have to report inthat model. So I think it underreports the overall offshore activity. Itaccurately reports the number of large-scale kind of layoffs that are partof it.
Q: So there could be a lot of these dribs and drabs of jobs goingoffshore.
A: Right. We know what people do--they cut contractors. Thosetechnically aren't full-time employees. So even if they cut 100contractors, they wouldn't have to report those. And it grows much moreincrementally, where most people probably don't hit that threshold of 50,where they have to report it. Or they may not even know they were supposedto report it.
Q: You said the reception of your initial report of 3.3 millionservices jobs going offshore by 2015 had been frustrating at times. Howso?
A: What was frustrating is that people instantly gravitated tothat 2015 number and in many cases reported it like it was the numbertoday. People were portraying that number like it was almost the numbertoday, which overstated what was going on.
Q: Were there actually cases where people talked about 3.3million jobs going overseas but didn't add the qualifier?
A: There was some of that.
Q: What about the response to your latest report? Can yousummarize how that's been treated?
A: You know, because we put in more incremental numbers and weput in some of the percentages of what was lost, it seems to have mutedsome of the debate.
A big part of that is because of what's happening in Iraq. The coverage ofthe offshore issue is directly in proportion to how much Iraqi coveragethere is. When it looked like the war was going well in theJanuary-February time frame, offshore coverage was way up. Since then, it'sway down.
Q: Do you expect that it will come back to be a significantissue?
A: I don't think so. The clients have stopped announcing whatthey are doing, which is minimizing triggers for press.
Q: IBM seems to have stopped talking about outsourcing when itdescribes what is essentially outsourcing work. It talks about "businessprocess transformation services" as opposed to "business transformationoutsourcing."
A: Right.
Q: Do you think that fits into that pattern of outsourcing beingkind of a four-letter word these days?
A: I think so. I think they are also trying to differentiatethemselves.
Q: Right. But you are saying overall there is just lesswillingness for companies to discuss what they are doing?
A: People aren't doing any less offshore work but they are sureas hell talking about it less.
Q: Are your clients saying that that is becoming a policy forthem?
A: Oh, yeah. For sure.
Q: What about within their own organizations--even to their ownemployees?
A: Companies take different strategies. The smart ones talk muchmore clearly about what is driving their strategy, why they are doing it,what jobs are going to be impacted, what jobs are not going to be impacted,and what they are doing to retrain the people who are impacted.
There is (also) a set of companies that I would put in the "ostrich"category. They hope by not talking about offshore, the whole issue willdisappear. I think that is a strategy that is going to get them on thefront page of their business section of their local papers sooner ratherthan later.
Q: You might think it is the opposite there: If you are going totell your employees what you are doing, they might leak news. But on theother hand, the employees are probably respecting you for doingthat--giving them a fair heads-up.
A: They are going to leak stuff either way. If you have aneffective, articulated strategy and then (a) communication strategy aroundthat, you are going to look a lot better when you talk to the press thanwhen you are going to get five people talking about five different aspectsof it.
Q: I also want to ask you about a recent report from BostonConsulting Group that says the advantages will persist and may actuallydeepen with regard to going out and setting up a shop in lower-costcountries. In other words, it makes sense to be more aggressive in youroffshoring strategy. Is that something that makes sense to you?
A: That may be the theory, but doing this well is extremely hardto do. My big concern is that companies are jumping on the kind ofoffshore-fad bandwagon with unrealistic expectations about how quickly theyare going to be able to do it and what realistically they are going to beable to save.
Q: Give me an example of the unrealistic expectations.
A: Most people do not do a good job of managing IT downstairs.You know, 50 percent of the projects are late, over-budget andunderperforming.
Q: That is just generally in the industry?
A: It's just generally, yeah. What makes them think that adding10 and a half hours and 8,000 miles is suddenly going to be the silverbullet for those management processes? And then to make things reallyinteresting, we are throwing a whole new culture (into) it.
Surveys that we do show that the No. 1 issue is lack of project managementskills from the customer to manage the vendor.
Q: What percentage of your clients in your surveys do you findthat actually lost money in doing an offshore project?
A: About 2 percent. About a third of them say that it's too earlyto tell, about a third of them say that they have hit the savings that theyexpected. Twenty percent see savings, but not what they expected. Twopercent see no savings at all.
Q: So only a third are actually getting exactly what they wantedup till now.
A: Right. But, you know, this is an evolution that they gothrough. You do not wave a magic wand and suddenly a thousand people gooffshore and you are saving 70 percent of their salary. You transitionproject by project. You have to put the governance structure in place.There are some initial ramp-up, due diligence efforts that you have to putin place.
Q: So it's the learning curve, essentially, for thesecompanies.
A: There is a learning curve. Also, to reach the ultimate levelof offshore experience--what we would define as "full exploiter"--theclient ultimately ends up upgrading and modifying and improving their owninternal IT practices in order to better manage work offshore and to movemore work offshore.
It's a classic example of "outside-in adoption," where as a result ofseeing the more disciplined processes of the Indian vendors in particularin action, the client ultimately adopts those capabilities themselves,which then allows them to better manage their own IT and better managetheir outsource provider at the same time.
Q: And that's kind of similar to the way the Japanese economykind of adopted the Deming principles?
A: Exactly. The Japanese adoption of Deming ultimately became acatalyst for an improvement of manufacturing processes worldwide. The samething is going to play out around the Indians in IT processes.
ToCBy Declan McCullagh
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
http://news.com.com/2100-1028-5291283.html
Story last modified August 3, 2004, 9:42 AM PDT
Australia will be required to adopt U.S. intellectual-property rules,including laws covering the "circumvention" of copy protection, andsoftware patents that have alarmed advocates of open-source software,according to a trade agreement that President Bush signed on Tuesday.
Bush and Australian Prime Minister John Howard touted the agreement at aceremony in the White House's Rose Garden, saying it will eliminate manytariffs on manufactured goods and agricultural products between the twocountries, which exchange $28 billion each year in goods and services.
A less-noticed section of the free-trade agreement deals with copyright.
"The agreement strengthens protections for intellectual property andpromotes electronic commerce," Bush said, before signing a bill committingthe United States to the arrangement. "Our two nations are committed to thereduction of trade barriers and other restrictions that are keeping toomuch of the world from the kind of prosperity and opportunity that thedeveloped world takes for granted."
The agreement requires Australia to recognize software patents, to extendthe duration of copyrighted works and to essentially adopt key portions ofthe Digital Millennium Copyright Act. That 1998 law has been attacked bycomputer scientists and open-source programmers in the United States asstifling innovation and outlawing legitimate activities like making aback-up copy of a legally purchased DVD.
Australia will be required to enact laws punishing anyone who "circumventswithout authority any effective technological measure that controls access"to copyrighted work or who distributes hardware or software that isdesigned for circumvention or is marketed that way. As in the DMCA, somelimited exceptions permit such activity by authorized researchers andgovernment employees for "the sole purpose of preventing the access ofminors to inappropriate online content."
One section goes further than existing U.S. law and commits both nations toenacting bans on tinkering with "rights management information." A relatedbill is pending, but has not been approved, in the U.S. Senate.
Australia has already enacted a related law called the Digital Agenda Actof 2000 that is not as sweeping the DMCA and does not permit softwarepatents. Its government is currently conducting a review of the law that'sexpected to be completed this year.
Because the free-trade agreement effectively short-circuits that review andcommits Australia to extending its copyright and patent laws, theAustralian Linux community has criticized the deal.
It "will limit the ability of Australian software developers, companies andusers to benefit from and contribute to the open-source software industry,"Linux Australia says in a position paper. "Taking on the American system ofsoftware patents will stifle open-source software initiatives and forceAustralian users and businesses into using costly and potentially inferiorsoftware, without the ability to alter it to suit their needs."
The trade agreement has run into trouble in Australia, which has not yetratified it. Some members of its parliament have threatened to scuttle thedeal unless it includes more regulations targeting drug companies, alongwith Australian TV and radio content.
ToCby Paul Thurrott
http://www.wininformant.com/
On Monday, so-called typical XP users will gain access to the AutomaticUpdates version of XP Service Pack 2 (SP2). Readers have sent me a lot ofquestions about the wait. Specifically, they want to know why Microsoftopted to stagger XP SP2's availability when so many people are anxious toget the update. The reason might surprise you, and it has nothing to dowith bandwidth concerns. Microsoft's support lines have been relativelyquiet, but the company's partners are afraid that SP2 is going to unleash atorrent of support calls-- calls that will go to them, not Microsoft.Therefore, out of deference to its partners, Microsoft decided to deploythe XP SP2 rollout in stages.
Microsoft held its annual financial analysts meeting this week, and asusual the event was a bonanza of new information about the company's plansfor the future. First up is the new integrated search technology that thecompany is planning for Longhorn and MSN: In a demo, Microsoft vicepresident Yusuf Mehdi showed how its new search technology could go wellbeyond Web searching by adding search for local hard drives, the intranet,the network, and "deep Web databases" (Whatever that means). What's reallycool about Microsoft's search technology, however, is that it aggregatescontent from various data sources into a single set of search results. So,for example, you can search on a word like "politics" and have it returnlocal files like Word documents and PowerPoint presentations, emailmessages, attachments to email messages, calendar items, contacts, orvirtually anything else, all from a single location. Mehdi noted that awide range of product teams are working in concert on the technology,including those from Longhorn, MSN Search, Microsoft Office, MicrosoftResearch, and others.
This week, Microsoft launched a public beta test of its MSNBC NewsBotservice, which is powered by MSN Search. NewsBot is a personalized onlinenews service, which aggregates content from a variety of MSN, NBC, andMSNBC properties, providing users with a highly customized "personalnewsstand" experience. "We want our users to be able to have a one-stopshop for their information- gathering needs," says Charlie Tillinghast,MSNBC.com general manager and publisher, "and the MSNBC.com Newsbotprovides them with unlimited access in their quest for that information."You can access the beta version of the MSNBC NewsBot today on the Web.
Intel had promised a 4 GHz Pentium 4 chip by the end of 2004, but it lookslike the rapidly slowing hardware giant will have to wait until the firstquarter of 2005 to ship that part, owing in part to a slow ramp-up to itscurrent speed champ, the 3.6 GHz Pentium 4. In fact, 3.6 GHz parts are sorare these days that Dell, the world's largest PC maker, dropped the optionfrom its Dimension XPS gaming system. Guys, this is Motorola embarrassing,if you know what I mean. Let's get with the program.
Microsoft has started testing of its upcoming antivirus service, which willbe an option in Longhorn, the next major Windows release, and will also beavailable for XP users. First revealed last summer, the service uses"behavior blocking" technology to monitor events on the PC, then blocksevents that are atypical or potentially harmful. The service acts like afirewall except that it targets local events, not network traffic.Microsoft told me that the company plans to offer an antivirus plug-inengine in Longhorn that third-party vendors can use to offer integratedproducts. The new antivirus service, which will come with a monthly oryearly subscription charge, will be just one of multiple Microsoft servicesthat will use the engine.
The long-awaited id Software first-person shooter game, DOOM 3, shippedthis week, ending 4 years of yearning in the online gaming world. Was itworth the wait? Oh yeah. Dark, scary, and technically brilliant, DOOM 3ushers in a new age of sophisticated and realistic graphics. But we expectnothing less from id. DOOM 3 is amazing for the depth of its story line andits incredible interactive elements. The game is a landmark title and thefirst use of a graphics engine that will no doubt drive amazing games forthe next several years. One bit of warning: DOOM 3 is excessively violent,and its dark and brooding environments are more than a little scary. Soalthough it's not for kids, DOOM 3 is the first example I've seen of anentertainment software title that effectively combines the best elements ofcinema and gaming into a cohesive experience that's a model that othercompanies will follow for years. In other words, it's a classic id Softwareproduct. Bravo.
The world's largest migration from Windows to Linux ran into some snagsthis week, and the project has been put on indefinite hold. The city ofMunich, Germany, had just started collecting bids on its migration of14,000 Windows desktops to Linux when Alderman Jens Muehlhaus discovered 50potential problems because of European Union (EU) patent laws and called ahalt to the entire operation. The situation appears to be political,however, and city officials say that they're standing by their decision tomigrate to Linux. An anxious open-source world awaits the outcome.
This week, Napster owner Roxio sold virtually its entire consumer softwaredivision to Sonic Solutions for $80 million so that Roxio can change itsname to Napster and concentrate solely on getting the music service off theground. And, contrary to charges by Apple Computer fanatics, Napster hasbeen making money and is now poised to make even more. The Napster divisionhas been earning $7 million to $8 million a quarter and will likely makeabout $40 million in its first year, according to Roxio. "With the newstoday, we are on a path to becoming a very well-funded pure play in one ofthe hottest sectors in the consumer technology market," Roxio Chairman andCEO Chris Gorog said. Indeed, the Napster division has about $130 millionin cash, all of which will now go toward promoting its music service.
ToCby Scot Finnie
http://www.scotsnewsletter.com/61.htm
On Saturday I issued a special edition of this newsletter to deliver somekey points about Windows XP Service Pack 2 during the first 24 hours afterMicrosoft released the final version to manufacturing. Five days later,I've learned quite a bit more about Windows XP SP2. This story, offered onTechWeb's Small Business Pipeline, is a direct update of the story I wrotein Scot's Newsletter on Saturday:
Windows XP SP2 Hits the Streets:
Please keep in mind that my recommendation has been ? and continues to be ?that you should wait 30 days before installing this major upgrade toWindows XP, assuming you already have a firewall and up-to-date antivirusprogram in place. That's because there are always problems for a smallpercentage of users with service packs. Let's find out what those problemsare first. But if you have a good reason to install it immediately, it isavailable to anyone with a fast Internet connection from a hard-to-findMicrosoft Downloads page: Download the final version of Windows XP SP2right now:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=049C9DBE-3B8E-4F30-8245-9E368D3CDB5A&displaylang=en
This downloadable version of SP2, called the "network installation," is agiant 266MB setup file designed to be used by IT administrators to installSP2 to multiple PCs over a network. Microsoft's plan for installing SP2 onend-user machines is an online installation routine served via AutomaticUpdates at first, and later via Windows Update also. This installationcould require as little as a 75MB download, depending upon how many WindowsXP security patches you already have installed on your computer. The endresult of either the network installation or the online installation is thesame. There is only one version of SP2. It's just that the process isdifferent. And the network install requires a much bigger 266MB upfrontdownload.
I prefer the network installation for several reasons. You get a localinstaller that you can use again and again. After the initial download,it's more convenient. You don't have to be online while you perform theinstallation. And best of all: I believe it will result in more reliableinstallations. Some percentage of the time, online installations failbecause of the vagaries of the Internet. Microsoft has done some things tomake its online setup process resumable, but I already have some reports ofproblems with online installs of XP SP2.
But wait, Microsoft hasn't released Service Pack 2 to Automatic Updatesyet, has it? Some time late in the evening on Tuesday, August 10, Microsoftturned on the Automatic Updates release of XP SP2 to computers with XP SP2pre-release versions installed (I believe both RC1 and RC2 installationsare in this group) that have Automatic Updates turned on. In the SaturdaySpecial Edition of this newsletter, I suggested that by having WindowsUpdate version 5 installed on your computer (and I explained how to dothat), you might be included in this early release group. So far that hasnot proven to be the case. All three of the XP SP2 RC2 computers I havewere offered XP SP2 gold on Wednesday (after there were first offered apatch to the incremental update code that I accepted). None of my WindowsXP SP1 machines with Windows Update v.5.0 installed have so far beenoffered XP SP2.
The following information, which was neither confirmed nor denied by aMicrosoft representative, came from an SFNL reader who requested anonymity.It provides a timeline for SP2 releases to various channels. It has so farbeen accurate:
Microsoft planned schedule for releasing Windows XP Service Pack 2:
Aug. 9 - Release network installation package to Microsoft Download Center.
Aug. 10 - Release to Automatic Updates for machines running pre-released versions of XP SP2.
Aug. 16 - Release to Automatic Updates for machines running original, SP1, and SP1a versions of XP SP2.
Aug. 16 - Release to software update services
Later in Aug. - Date to be determined, release to Windows Update for interactive user installations.
An important footnote for Windows 2000 SP3 readers: Windows 2000 will beable to access Windows Update v.5.0, but the trick I gave last time forinstalling that version of Windows Update does not work for Windows 2000 atthis time. And for XP users attempting to get the update via AutomaticUpdates, you do not have to have Automatic Updates turned on toautomatically install updates. Automatic Updates must be on, but you canchoose to have it either notify only or download and notify, and you willstill be offered SP2.
The final build number of Windows XP Service Pack 2 is 2180. When you lookon the General tab of the System Control Panel, an SP2 computer is listedas: "Microsoft Windows XP Version 2002 Service Pack 2." Internet Explorer'snew version number in SP2 is 6.0.2900.2180.xpsp_sp2_rtm.040803-2158. (It'slikely that the characters after "xpsp_sp2" vary.)
The best way to get Service Pack 2 for many people ? including everyone ondial- up ? is to request that Microsoft send it to you on CD via mail. TheRequest Page for the Windows XP SP2 CD is live, but at press time,Microsoft had not yet enabled this page to make requests possible. I amtrying to get more information about when this channel for getting the newcode will be opened.
Reports about problems with XP SP2 are beginning to trickle in. I am veryinterested in your experiences, so if you have installed XP SP2 already ?or whenever you do ? please write to let me know what happened on your PC.
My experiences so far include SP2 setups using the netework installer on mytwo primary computers as well as an online Automatic Updates installationon a machine running XP SP2 RC2. All three installations went offperfectly. I have had no problems at all. And most reports I've had so farare similar, but I don't expect that to last. Every major new version ofany piece of software that will eventually installed on probably 100million PCs, is bound to have serious problems on a small percentage. But asmall percentage of 100 Million PCs is a whole lot of trouble.
The experiences of Scot's Newsletter reader Ron Fleischer are perhapsinstructive:
I was running SP2 RC2 at the time I got the notification via Automatic Updates that the upgrade was ready to install. I did so using the Express Install. Things went fine for a while, but then I noticed that the progress bar had stopped moving. I waited 45 more minutes but nothing was happening. The install hung at the point that MSADP32.ACM was being installed. I don't know if that's significant or not.
Anyhow, I couldn't do anything to unstick the hang. I couldn't access the computer from other boxes on my home network. Ctrl-Alt-Del did nothing. I finally had to turn off the power. Fortunately, I was able to recover by using GoBack, but now I'm afraid to try it again. I have downloaded the SP2 file from an FTP site so I won't have to go through [the online installation process], but I'm not sure I want to take the chance. I think I'll wait until I hear what you have to say in future newsletters before I try it again. --Ron Fleischer
While I don't think this in any way caused Ron's problem, I would recommendagainst using the "Express Install" option. The other option (whose formalname escapes me at the moment) also goes off automatically, but it providesmore information upfront about what's happening. I expect many other peoplewill have problems like this one. A good tip to remember is to turn off ordisable as many applications running on your machine as possible. Manynotebook PCs, for example, have a lot of OEM-specific programs running inbackground. You might want to kill those processes before you install anymajor Windows upgrade. You should also temporarily turn off your softwarefirewall, antivirus program, and any other major applications that may berunning. The reason for this is that if a program is in the process ofusing a specific Windows system file, that file may be protected from beingoverwritten, halting the SP2 installation process.
Over the next week or two I will be installing SP2 on a long list of PCs.In a future edition of the newsletter, my hands-on experiences, as well asthose reported to me by SFNL readers and others, will be reported with myrecommendations about how to install this product, how to configure it,and any yellow light issues that crop up. Stay tuned.
ToCfrom Tom Purl (tompurl2000@yahoo.com)
The next version of CrossOver Office, which is a Windows API emulationlayer for Linux, will support the Windows version of iTunes. This was themost-requested application on Crossover Office, and the new version shouldbe available later this year. More information can be found here(http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/08/03/0336204).
A new and significantly easier installer for Debian Linux has released itsfirst "Release Candidate". The new installer will be included with the 3.1release of Debian next month, and it includes the following features:
The press release can be found here (http://www.debian.org/devel/debian-installer/News/2004/20040807).
I personally tested this installer a couple of times and it has workedreally well on my test computer. You can now install a base system with acouple of button clicks in about 10 minutes.
A new version of the Linux Terminal Server Project (LTSP) has beenreleased. LTSP allows you to run a network of cheap, "dumb" Linux clientsthat are connected to a central server. Here are some of its new features:
The press release can be found here (http://www.ltsp.org/ltsp-4.1.html).
The latest beta of Mandrake Linux is now available. Here are some of thenew features:
The press release can be found here (http://www1.mandrakelinux.com/en/101beta.php3).
A new version of the Bash shell has been released. The enhancementsinclude POSIX compliance and a lot of bug fixes. The press release can befound here (http://groups.google.com/groups?dq=&start=25&hl=en&lr=lang_da%7Clang_en%7Clang_no%7Clang_pl%7Clang_sv&ie=UTF-8&group=comp.unix.shell&c2coff=1&selm=ce69oa%24sev%241%40eeyore.INS.cwru.edu).
The latest and greatest version of a great Linux distribution has beenreleased. Here are some of the new features:
I also tested this distribution out fairly recently and it was prettysmooth sailing. This is a very cool distribution if you don't mindcompiling all of your software from source.
The latest beta of a very robust relational database has been released.This new version includes many significant features, including:
Please see the press release here (http://www.postgresql.org/news/216.html).
ToCTidBITS#741/09-Aug-04
Late Monday, Apple released via Software Update Mac OS X 10.3.5 andSecurity Update 2004-08-09. Bearing in mind that we heard about theseupdates right before putting the issue to bed and so can confirm nothing,here are the improvements that seem most relevant to us (the first linkbelow offers more complete release notes). Mac OS X 10.3.5 offers updatedMail and Image Capture applications, improved compatibility for third-partyapplications, improved font management, additional FireWire and USB devicecompatibility, and better Bluetooth compatibility for the Apple WirelessKeyboard and Mouse and Bluetooth cell phones. People working in mixedplatform scenarios should appreciate enhanced support for NTFS-formattedvolumes, and those in highly networked environments should see improvedreliability for user logins and mounting of home directories. Mac OS X10.3.5 rolls in all previous standalone security updates and also includesfixes for a problem that could cause Safari to resubmit form data whenusing the forward/back buttons and the TCP/IP-based denial-of- service"Rose Attack." The 10.3.5 update varies in size depending on what you needto download; Software Update told me it was 22.9 MB. A stand-alone versionthat updates 10.3.4 to 10.3.5 and a combined version that updates anyversion of 10.3 to 10.3.5 should be available from the Apple Downloads pageshortly. As always, be sure to back up before installing such a majorupdate.
<http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=25791>
<http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/>
Security Update 2004-08-09 updates Mac OS X's code for handling graphics inthe PNG (Portable Network Graphics) format to work around a problem inwhich malicious PNG image could cause application crashes and executearbitrary code. Security Update 2004-08-09 is included in Mac OS X 10.3.5,so you don't need to download it if you're updating to Mac OS X 10.3.5.[ACE]
<http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=61798>
ToCAfter introducing it in April, Apple is now shipping Motion, thecompany's new motion-graphics application (see "Apple NABs Pro VideoAttention" in TidBITS-727_). The $300 program creates snazzy effects andtitles on top of video, and complement's Adobe's dominant After Effects.In related video news, Apple announced that Motion is now part of anapplication set it calls Production Suite, which encompasses Final CutPro HD, Motion, DVD Studio Pro (which was updated to version 3.0.1 lastweek), and Soundtrack. The collection sells for $1,300; owners of anyversion of Final Cut Pro can upgrade to the entire suite for $700. Alsonoteworthy, Apple released Pro Application Support 2.1, an update forowners of Final Cut Pro, Cinema Tools, Compressor, LiveType, Soundtrack,and DVD Studio Pro. The update improves reliability, updates interfaceissues, and is required for future updates; it's a free 2.6 MB download.[JLC]
<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=07647>
<http://www.apple.com/motion/>
<http://www.adobe.com/products/aftereffects/>
<http://www.apple.com/productionsuite/>
<http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/proapplicationsupport.html>
TidBITS#741/09-Aug-04
iData Pro has long been my favorite digital shoebox, a repository forcompletely miscellaneous text snippets, as I explained in TidBITS-675_. Theprogram was available through Casady & Greene, who closed their doors inJune 2003. iData's author, Mike Wright, robbed of a distribution channel,thereupon generously started giving the program away. On Mac OS 9(non-Classic) it was made free forever; on Mac OS X it was a six-month"demo," but it was fully featured, and over time, eight bug-fix updateskept it from expiring. Meanwhile, Wright partnered with Robin Casady torevive the program by rewriting it in Cocoa. This effort has now resultedin iData 2 (currently version 2.0.2, with the "Pro" deliberately droppedfrom the name). The Cocoa rewrite provides all the cool stuff and goodbehavior that Cocoa brings along for free, such as styled text, Unicode,images, Services, scroll-wheel support, speech, and spell-checking. Avaluable new feature is the capability to insert a live link to any file orfolder on disk. iData 2 and iData 1.0.17 can import each other's files;iData 2 can also import InfoGenie and QuickDex files. iData 2 costs $50; afew iData 1.0.17 features still missing from iData 2, such as labelprinting and advanced phone dialing, are slated to return in a future majorupdate, at which point the price will rise to $70. A 30-day demo isavailable for download (1 MB). iData 2 requires Mac OS X 10.3 Panther orlater. [MAN]
<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=07145>
<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=07247>
<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=07276>
<http://www.idata2.com/>
TidBITS#741/09-Aug-04
Early last week, Apple released iPhoto 4.0.2, which seemed like anextremely minor update unless you were ordering iPhoto books in Europe. Italso addressed issues with using multiple text rules in Smart Albums, andprovided notification when new versions are available (presumably forpeople who don't already use Software Update). However, Apple pulled theupdate mid-week without notice, then posted an iPhoto 4.0.3 updater onThursday that claims the same new features. Note that the new version needsto update your iPhoto catalog, so it's a good idea to backup your existingphotos before applying the update. The update is available as a 7.1 MBdownload via Software Update, or as a 5.9 MB stand-alone download. [JLC]
<http://www.apple.com/ilife/iphoto/>
<http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/iphoto.html>
TidBITS#741/09-Aug-04
Intuit has released Quicken 2005, the latest version of its financialmanagement application. The new version adds online support for morefinancial institutions, streamlines new account creation and categorymanagement, and ties into iPhoto to generate a visual home inventory.Quicken 2005 for Mac currently costs $60, and is available as a 32 MBdownload or in a boxed version. [JLC]
<http://www.quicken.com/quickensw/mac/>
ToCTidBITS#738/19-Jul-04
Despite problems meeting demand for its new iPod mini and being forced todelay new iMacs until September, Apple Computer announced a strong $61million profit for its third fiscal quarter of 2004, on revenue of $2.014billion. An after-tax restructuring charge took $6 million off the top;without it, the company's quarterly profit would have been $67 million.Apple's gross margin for the quarter was 27.8 percent, and internationalsales represented 39 percent of the quarter's revenue. During the quarter,Apple shipped 876,000 Macs along with 860,000 iPods; the iPod's salesgrowth is 183 percent higher than the same quarter of 2003, and over sixpercent higher than Apple's second quarter.
<http://www.apple.com/ipodmini/>
<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=07728>
<http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2004/jul/14results.html>
Of special note to potential computer buyers in the months ahead, Apple CFOPeter Oppenheimer confirmed during Apple's financial results conferencecall that new iMacs - now due in September - will be based around thePowerPC G5 processor, and that delays were due to the limited availabilityof the G5 itself, manufactured by IBM in Fishkill, New York. [GD]
<http://www.apple.com/quicktime/qtv/earningsq304/>
ToCby Jeff Carlson <jeffc@tidbits.com>
TidBITS#738/19-Jul-04
Apple revamped its iPod lineup today, making the portable music player moreattractive to music lovers. Although still based on the basic white iPoddesign, the new model incorporates a "click wheel," the innovativecontroller introduced with the iPod mini (see "iPod mini Joins SuccessfulMusic Player Line"). The four touch-sensitive buttons found above thescroll wheel on the previous iPod line are gone, replaced by the capabilityto press the edges of the scroll wheel to play, rewind, fast- forward, oraccess menus.
<http://www.apple.com/ipod/>
<http://www.apple.com/ipodmini/>
<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=07494>
The new iPod is also a millimeter thinner than previous models. Perhapsmore exciting is Apple's claim that the new models can get up to 12 hoursof playback time before the battery needs recharging.
<http://www.apple.com/ipod/specs.html>
The software for the Click Wheel iPods has changed a bit, too. A newtop-level menu item called Music is the portal to your tunes. Apple hasalso moved the Shuffle Songs option to the top level for easy access, andyou can now store multiple On-The-Go playlists. For fans of audio books,the iPod software can play back at different speeds (without soundingunintelligible). Apple has also released iPod Updater 2004-07-15, whichincludes iPod Software 3.0 for the Click Wheel iPod; iPod Software 1.1 forthe iPod mini; iPod Software 2.2 for third-generation iPods with the dockconnector; and iPod Software 1.4 for previous iPod models. (Note that thesoftware for all models prior to the Click Wheel iPods hasn't changed sincethe last updates released for them.)
<http://www.apple.com/ipod/download/>
The new iPods come in two configurations. A 20 GB version, for $300, weighs5.6 ounces (159 grams) and includes earbud earphones, an AC adapter, aFireWire cable, and a USB 2.0 cable (the latter was previously availableseparately). For $400, the 40 GB model weighs 6.2 ounces (176 grams) andalso includes an iPod Dock. Both prices reflect $100 off of similarlyconfigured third-generation models. Both configurations are available now.
In related news, HP announced that it would release its HP-branded iPods,based on the new design, in September.
<http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2004/jul/19ipod.html>
ToCby Geoff Duncan <geoff@tidbits.com>
TidBITS#740/02-Aug-04
Last week a public shouting match erupted between Apple Computer andRealNetworks over what material can be played using Apple's iPod portablemusic players. RealNetworks develops the RealPlayer digital media playersoftware, which competes with both QuickTime and Microsoft's Windows Mediatechnologies. RealNetworks also operates the RealPlayer Music Store (acompetitor to Apple's iTunes Music Store) and the Rhapsody subscriptionmusic service.
<http://www.rhapsody.com/>
<http://www.real.com/>
Duelling Divas
The current brouhaha has some history. On 09-Apr-04, RealNetworks CEO RobGlaser proposed a "tactical alliance" between RealNetworks and Apple, inwhich Apple would license the FairPlay digital rights management (DRM)technology used by the iTunes Music Store to RealNetworks. This would allowcontent purchased from Rhapsody and the RealPlayer Music Store to play onthe iPod, which - then as now - commands the lion's share of the market forportable digital music players. In return, RealNetworks would make the iPodits "primary device" for its music services and player software. Glaseralso waved a stick, hinting RealNetworks might convert over to Microsoft'sWindows Media or approach other hardware vendors if a deal couldn't bereached with Apple.
<http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/3340801>
Apple quickly declined RealNetworks' proposal. Apple already had the mostpopular portable player and the most popular online music service, andapparently felt staying on its current track was more beneficial thandiverting effort into striking deals with smaller partners. Apple may alsohave felt RealNetworks' adoption of Windows Media was unlikely, given therancorous legal history between RealNetworks and Microsoft.
Shouting Match
On 26-Jul-04, the public silence between RealNetworks and Apple was brokenwhen RealNetworks announced a new technology initiative dubbed Harmony.Among other things, Harmony purports to make material protected usingnon-Apple DRM technologies playable on the iPod. Harmony could be animportant market advantage for RealNetworks. Currently, iPods can play backeither unprotected files (e.g., ordinary MP3s) or content protected usingApple's FairPlay DRM system (like songs purchased from the iTunes MusicStore). RealPlayer Music Store and the Rhapsody music service would have acompetitive edge if they could claim their material works with Apple's iPodas well as a multitude of other devices from Sony, Rio, PalmOne, Gateway,Dell, and others. RealNetworks' DRM-enabled content would work on more than70 portable devices, whereas protected material from iTunes Music Storewould work on just one. RealNetworks' reasoning for Harmony is appealing:when people buy music online, they should be able to listen to that musicon the portable player of their choice without worrying about file formatsor copy protection. It should just work.
<http://www.real.com/harmony/>
<http://www.realnetworks.com/company/press/releases/2004/harmony.html>
I'm not fully versed in the technical details of Harmony, but it's apparentRealNetworks did not create Harmony in conjunction with Apple. Instead,RealNetworks proceeded on its own, taking authorized material protectedusing non-Apple DRM schemes and wrapping it with Apple's FairPlay DRM foruse on the iPod. Thus, when the iPod sees content a user purchased fromRealNetworks, it plays transparently. This method works for materialavailable via Rhapsody and RealPlayer Music Store because those servicesuse the same AAC audio format as content from the iTunes Music Store(albeit at a higher bitrate: 192 Kbps rather than 128 Kbps). iPods havebuilt-in support for AAC; Harmony does not alter the iPod software or giveit the capability to handle new media formats.
Apple fired back sharply at RealNetworks on 28-Jul-04, saying it was"stunned that RealNetworks has adopted the tactics and ethics of a hacker"to enable its content on Apple's iPod, and warning that Harmony wasunlikely to work with current and future iPods once Apple released new iPodsoftware. In other words, Apple was angry, and would attempt to hamstringHarmony on the iPod as soon as possible. Apple also indicated it wasinvestigating legal action, including possible violations of the DigitalMillennium Copyright Act (DMCA). RealNetworks responded 29-Jul-04,re-affirming its commitment to Harmony and asserting the technology wasboth fully legal and developed independently.
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=528&ncid=528&e=12&u=/ap/20040729/ap_on_hi_te/apple_realnetworks>
<http://www.realnetworks.com/company/press/releases/2004/harmony_statement.html>
Loud and Off-Key
This dispute between Apple and RealNetworks touches on many nerves inthe worlds of online music and digital rights management. Some peopleresent that Apple's iPod currently supports only a closed, proprietary DRMsystem, and many people would welcome the idea of playing music purchasedfrom any source they like on the iPod, regardless of whether it comes fromthe iTunes Music Store or another service. Support for additional DRMsystems might make the iPod even more popular, and - given the iPod's highmargins - that would mean even more money for Apple. After all, Apple isn'tyet earning much (if any) money from selling music via the iTunes MusicStore: why would Apple care if people bought songs from another service, solong as they're played back on a profitable iPod?
On the other hand, part of the reason for the iPod's success is its tightintegration with iTunes and the iTunes Music Store. By controlling theuser's online music experience from browsing and purchase tosynchronization and playback, Apple has created a best-of-breed solution.Supporting other DRM systems on the iPod - or licensing FairPlay to otheronline music services - means Apple would surrender both iTunes and theiTunes Music Store, two key components in Apple's digital music strategy.If another online music service (like Rhapsody) or another jukeboxapplication (like RealPlayer) didn't support the iPod very well, that woulddiminish the market's perception of the iPod.
However, if Apple remains set against Harmony, it's not yet clear whetherApple has any practical recourse but to try pulling the rug out from underit via software updates, since Apple's claim that RealNetworks potentiallyviolated the DMCA seems tenuous. First, RealNetworks has been in enoughtooth-and-nail fights with Microsoft over the years to be able to affordquality legal advice - it's a safe bet a reasonable amount of homework wasdone before RealNetworks made a public statement. Second, RealNetworks'Harmony does not appear to be violating copyright of protected content,since it is not disabling DRM - protected content is still protected onceit's transferred to the iPod. Third, Apple may have difficulty claiming itsown copyrights were violated, since Harmony does not alter iTunes or theiPod's built-in software, and the DMCA contains specific exemptions forreverse engineering solutions for the purpose of interoperability.
<http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/1201.html>
No Fat Ladies Singing Yet
Harmony may simply represent an escalation in RealNetworks' efforts to getits content onto the iPod and expand the utility of its Windows-onlyRhapsody music service. The dispute also highlights the fact that Apple'scurrent market-leading position in digital music distribution means thecompany will be forced to protect its business from competitors anddilution; in doing so, will undoubtedly take on tones and behaviorslong-time Apple aficionados will find jarring. In fact, those tones andbehaviors might be more reminiscent of a company which has long-dominatedthe operating system market: Microsoft.
ToCreported by Edwin Hadley (elhadley@life.uiuc.edu)
July 22, 2004 - This reporter arrived late and the meeting was alreadyin motion so intros of the usual suspects had been made, and guests wereannounced. The group was already into a discussion of one member's systemproblems as I arrived.
Once settled, I asked a question about how a system, Mac OSX in particular,decides what order to copy a set of files or file names. I have noticedthat when importing files into iTunes from my hard drive that there is noapparent order or priority that the system uses to determine order. It doesnot use any apparent alphabetical order; creation date; modification dateof size, etc. This has messed up several CD playlists I have burned when Ifailed to make sure that the order was by 'name'. In retrospect, I askedthe question in an awkward fashion. All sorts of possible reasons weregiven, but no one was able to give an explanation that would answer thequestion. I will have to reform the problem and give better examples. It'snot a big problem, just an aggravation from time to time.
A question was asked about HP scanner software that is present andactivated in the owner's system at start up. It searches for a scanner atstart up regardless of whether the scanner is hooked up or not. The ownerwas wondering if he could get rid of it and how to do it. Several methodsof removing the program were mentioned, but it was also mentioned that ifhe every wanted to hook up and use the scanner that he would have tore-install the software again. The owner does use the scanner on themachine when needed, so it was generally decided that it might be best tolet things stay as they are.
A question was asked about what club members' favorite news readerapplications were. The CUCUG Discussion List was mentioned as a place wherea lot of discussion has already taken place. Newsguy and Newsview were bothmentioned as popular viewers. The method and size of the cache seems to beone of the main factors related to ratings. The 'trainability' of theviewer is also a desirable trait.
Discussion of TechTV - which was originally ZDTV and has been bought byComCast and moved from San Fransisco back to LA. Most of the main peopleare gone and most of the ComCast programs are still there but the TechTVprogramming disappeared. Rich Rollins seems to think they have something infor him as all the stuff he liked has been discontinued. He is not veryhappy with TechTV these days. It may not necessarily be related, but Richalso has turned off his TV dish after 10 and a half years. It's cheaper forhim to get everything through Insight which supplies his Internetconnection via a cable modem.
Norris Hansell has also been playing with NeoOffice, an Office replacement.He says it's not quite ready for prime time. But, he did find that thePowerpoint portion of the program was helpful. He says that it workedfairly well, opening Powerpoint files and letting him take images out ofthe file. But, that was all the set up for his question as to the 'why'Java script applications. A discussion followed of the portability of thelanguage from platform to platform - ideally. It is also a very easylanguage to learn and use.
Rich talked about another small drive case. He is very into these neatlittle devices. This case was Firewire and ISB2 compatible. The case comeswith an extra cable that plugs into a USB2 port to supply power to thedrive so you don't crunch your Firewire performance. (One drive using twoports... is this progress - reporter's question.) Unfortunately, the onlyway to reformat it is by using NTFS and Apples don't speak NTFS whichlimits it's cross platform usefulness. The work around for the situationrequires emulators and Unix apps. A discussion continued about the detailsof this problem.
There was a discussion about how some Firewire 2 devices do not operate atthe old Firewire 1 standard. They ONLY work at the Firewire 2 speed. Itseems there are differences between 4 wire and 6 wire Firewire (?). So itis important to check for compatibility, forward and backward.
Talk of lightning and computer device safety and survivability. Talk aboutUSPs and spikes and drops. They aren't perfect. Actual strikes will killabout anything, but strikes in the local power grid should be defeated by agood surge protector and/or USP. More discussion and tall tales aboutlightning strikes. Plenty of horror stories were tossed about. Manysteaming computers and parts lay in the wake. The only really safe way tosurvive a strike is to be unplugged. Rich mentions some power conditionersprotecting some one-of-kind Motorola computers. They were the only thingRich has seen that will 'stop' a lightning strike. The computers survived adirect strike, but the power conditioners did not. All seven of them. Itwas also mentioned to not 'daisy-chain' powerstrips as they work byshorting out portions of the chain and it could cause more severe problems.It was suggested to check with your fire department about details.
Discussion of Internet Explorer's security hassles and FireFox as asubstitute browser. Kevin Hisel has been a big IE user for a long, longtime and he has jumped to FireFox. He doesn't think it is as fast as theyclaim, but that problem is made up for by all of the plug-ins. He hasbecome a big FireFox supporter since. A comment that the University ofIllinois is planning to support FireFox and Mozilla to help people find analternative to the problem of IE hacking.
A question was asked about archives that were damaged during download. IEcrashed during download and the resulting archive files cannot be put inthe trash because they are being used by/for other tasks. Repairingpermissions didn't fix the problem. Neither TechTool nor DiscWarrior helpedthe problem either. It was suggested that booting up from another source,like a boot disc or booting up in Firewire disc mode, might allow deleting theoffending files. Later another member showed a method by logging in as'root' via the Terminal in OSX and then deleting the files.
iTunes has reached 100 million song downloads. They gave away all sorts offree downloads and an iPod to the lucky individual that made the 100millionth download. And in the interest of secrecy, etc., etc. they weren'tshowing the download counter for a time around the period in question.
Norris Hansell related the story of the Windows version of the Palatinofont. Something about getting the font designed, not paying for it per se,but building a house for the designer... or something like that.
reported by Edwin Hadley (elhadley@life.uiuc.edu)
The main subject of discussion was adding movie clips to Powerpoint. Likeextracting clips from DVDs and putting them in a Powerpoint presentation.Well, it seems that we really didn't talk about Powerpoint at all. Wetalked about how to do what we wanted to do without even startingPowerpoint at all.
Emil uses iMovie for almost everything and his solution for the Powerpointfilm thing is to do it in iMovies. Mac-the-Ripper was mentioned as apossible application. It is supposed to be free, but the person thatmentioned it said they had not been able to pursue it because of the usualeveryday overwork syndrome. Emil, in the mean time, had iMovie up and runningand was showing us some of his creations and explaining how he made them. Heeven made a small sample movies by combining portions of two or more of hisother movies into a new one. Another member attested to iMovies' benefit ashe was able to use it to edit one actor out and a replacement actor into afilm he was working on. I pulled up my copy of iMovie and was disappointedto find that it was version 2 and it does not import Quicktime movies. Ichecked for iMovie updates and I found out that I can't update iMovieexcept by buying iLife or updating to OSX version 10.3. (Something I needto do sometime in the near future.)
There was discussion about iBooks, and it was generally agreed that thefirst generation (Clamshell) iBook was a bear to work on mechanically.Meaning that taking the machine apart and replacing equipment was acomplicated business. It does not invite the casual hobbyist to wanderaround in it's innards. The discussion came up in regards to a questionabout exchanging an older DVD-ROM drive for a newer DVD-RW drive. Weswapped stories of walking through the guts of various laptops we haveknown. Emil said that he was glad that he had the newer model, as it was farmore "friendly."
We had a incomplete discussion about streaming films and the hassles withvarious browsers. But the we were in the process of closing down the SIG asit was getting late and most people had already started drifting away forthe night. We closed down the shop. Some went off to get nutritionalsustenance and others went off to kill animated pixels in virtual realities.
ToCreported by Kevin Hopkins (kh2@uiuc.edu)
I have been informed that the July meeting of the CUCUG executive board didtake place on Tuesday, July 27, 2004, at 7PM, at Kevin Hisel's house.However, it was a very informal affair, no notes were taken in my absence(I was on vacation), and so there is nothing to report. (For anyone wishingto attend any future Board meetings - which is encouraged, by the way - theaddress and phone number are both in the book).
ToCMeetings are held the third Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at theFirst Baptist Church of Champaign in Savoy. The FBC-CS is located at1602 N. Prospect Avenue in Savoy, on the NE corner of Burwash andProspect. To get to the the First Baptist Church from Champaign orUrbana, take Prospect Avenue south. Setting the trip meter in your carto zero at the corner of Kirby/Florida and Prospect in Champaign(Marathon station on the SW corner), you only go 1.6 miles south.Windsor will be at the one mile mark. The Savoy village sign (on theright) will be at the 1.4 mile mark. Burwash is at the 1.6 mile mark.The Windsor of Savoy retirement community is just to the south; BurwashPark is to the east. Turn east (left) on Burwash. The FBC-CS parking lotentrance is on the north (left) side of Burwash. Enter by the doubledoors at the eastern end of the building's south side. A map can befound on the CUCUG website at http://www.cucug.org/meeting.html. TheFirst Baptist Church of Champaign is also on the web at http://www.fbc-cs.org .
Membership dues for individuals are $20 annually; prorated to $10 at midyear.
Our monthly newsletter, the Status Register, is delivered by email. Allrecent editions are available on our WWW site. To initiate a user groupexchange, just send us your newsletter or contact our editor via email. Asa matter of CUCUG policy, an exchange partner will be dropped after threemonths of no contact.
For further information, please attend the next meeting as our guest, orcontact one of our officers (all at area code 217):
President/WinSIG: Richard Rollins 469-2616 Vice-Pres/MacSIG: Emil Cobb 398-0149 e-cobb@uiuc.edu Secretary/Editor: Kevin Hopkins 356-5026 kh2@uiuc.edu Treasurer: Richard Hall 344-8687 rjhall1@uiuc.edu Linux SIG: Tom Purl 390-6078 tompurl2000@yahoo.com
Email us at cucug@cucug.org, visit our web site at http://www.cucug.org/, or join in our online forums at http://www.cucug.org/starship/index.php .